The HALO Project
by TheDizBizz
Summary: As Rhys and Fiona follow their paths to become Atlas President and full-fledged Vault Hunter, they have found their adventures have not gone unnoticed by enemies and allies alike.
1. From the Wreckage

He said it with a smile.

"W-wait a minute. Back up."

"Hm?"

"You… tore your own arm off? Did that... how did that feel?"

"About as great as you'd expect."

"So, like-"

"Excruciatingly painful."

Another flash of whitened teeth.

Soft clanging of metal debris shuffled beneath his feet, accompanying the thoughts as he recalled them. He had decided before the trek that he would omit the gorier details for their sake – and his own. He needn't delve into what it felt like when deep-set wires snap from a body, battered, berated, beaten…

His hand rubbed the shoulder joint where flesh and bone ceased and metal began.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You could have told us the story at the base."

"I'm fine."

He could tell his attempt at reassurance did little to quell their unease, catching the side-eyed exchange of worried glances between Vaughn and Sasha. Real subtle.

"Look, I'm fine Vaughn, alright? I just… I guess I'm curious what's left of it now."

Fiona didn't want to come with. She had heard it all before, and for once believed what he had told her at face-value – a miracle, really. If it hadn't been for Vaughn, for Sasha, the two people who searched for him when he was as good dead, he may not have owed this tired story to anyone anymore. But he did them.

A mountain of rusted rubble obscured the path before them. Twisted beams and broken plates and fractured pipes entwined into a gnarly metal maze. Vaughn, familiar with the terrain of wreckage, silently ventured ahead as Rhys and Sasha studied his movements and followed diligent behind.

"Careful, your arm." Rhys extended out a gentle hand to shield the crude cast holding her arm to her chest.

"Damn watch," muttered Sasha half-heartedly under her breath, leaning into him. "The engraving should have read: 'Letting you down one last time.'"

"Well, to be fair, it did save your life." Rhys chuckled at her stubborn scorn. Somehow nine million dollars and the gift of life still wouldn't be enough to amend a betrayal in Sasha's eyes.

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Sasha said, cautiously gripping her arm tighter as her foot slipped on the smooth incline of steel panels. "Go ahead with your story."

"Right… well, after I separated with my arm I realized I could still see Jack. In my head, you know. He couldn't strangle me anymore which was some small relief I suppose. He was just… making threats, fantasizing about my death, fun stuff to think about when you're sitting there armless. I actually tried to stab him with a piece of glass… I don't know why I thought that would work. You can't stab a hologram."

Leaning his back against one side of the rubble, Vaughn extended out a leg to push aside a stack of panels, creating a triangular tunnel for Sasha and Rhys to traverse through. Emerging from the other side, Rhys recognized this all now, the toppled digistructed cars and caved-in statue heads. They were close.

"How did you get rid of him?" Vaughn asked after letting the debris he held up tumble into the dust with a huff.

"Well, I figured… a hologram can't be stabbed but… but _I_ can."

"What?" Sasha and Vaughn exclaimed in unison with upturned brows.

"Listen, it's not as bad as that sounded. I just used the glass to cut out my port and… and then I used it to dig out my ECHOeye."

"WHAT?!"

"Okay, maybe that was as bad as that sounded."

"Rhys, that port was a 4-inch hole in your brain connected to more than a foot of wire in your eye!" rushed Vaughn, always with a knack for numbers.

"Yeah, that part wasn't so fun," Rhys admitted, unknowingly grazing the port on his temple with a tentative finger. "I had to pull out the wire through my eye. Jack was actually on his knees begging me not to."

To his surprise, a hand brought down his wandering fingers and held them by his side.

"But you had to." Sasha's voice and grip were so firm, so assured – another reason she was everything he was not.

Skeletons in Hyperion uniform awaited them by the side of their path. Rhys' eyes wavered to the sky, to the ground, to Vaughn, to Sasha, everywhere but to the bodies sprawled in the dust.

"That's what I keep telling myself."

The tall shattered glass windows of Jack's office towered over the wreckage like a beacon. Feeling fled from Rhys' body as his silver hand pointed at the horizon. "It's over there." Sasha's hand squeezed tighter, pulling him from numbness. He knew what it meant. Another 'are you sure you want to do this?' that he would deny before persisting forward. "Let's keep going."

Time had allowed freshly fire-torn wreckage to turn slightly sand-weathered ruins. Featured at the epicenter was an impaled and limp Hyperion YellowTM cyber arm, a hanging decoration stupidly sticking out against the landscape.

Vaughn shook his head. "Wow you… really weren't kidding about the arm thing."

"I know, can you believe it? I actually thought yellow looked good on me. Losing it was the best thing I ever did, though Fiona would probably tell you it was the tie." Rhys approached the arm, poking at it with his new one. "Atlas Silver* is much more my color."

"Yeah, but I mean… Rhys, your arm – "

"Looks great in Atlas Silver*." Sasha hurriedly rushed to finish Vaughn's sentence. "Trust me."

"Well, you are the Atlas Silver* expert around here." Oblivious to the exchange, Rhys turned to face Jack's partially ransacked cabinet. "Loader Bot already called Dibbs on the Conference Call, but there was some other interesting stuff Jack had in his trophy case, if you wanted to peruse."

"Don't mind if I do!"

Sasha wasted little time examining every scrap of distinguishable metal from the dusty shelves. Vaughn nudged at Rhys' arm, motioning him further from her earshot. "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah, of course. What's up?"

"Remember the last time we talked alone, back at that biodome while you were trying to find us a way in?"

Rhys combed his hair through his fingers. "Oh yeah, and you brought up something about a party and we bro-hugged it out. How could I forget?"

"Right, anyways I told you how great you were at playing it cool through everything. That's what you've always told me to do, 'play it cool', and – and to be honest that's how I think I've survived as long as I have down here. You don't become a leader of former Hyperion refugees and not play it cool. I think you're still great at it, new Atlas President and all."

"Aw, well thanks Vaughn, I apprec—"

"But I think you should stop."

The conviction in his statement cut the wind from Rhys' lungs.

"W-what do you mean stop?"

Vaughn rested his hands on his hips, pondering a moment. "Why did you want to bring us here?"

"You can't answer a question with a question."

"Come on! You've been 'playing it cool' this whole time, we can tell. Doesn't it bother you even a little bit to see your arm just like… dangling… over there, and…. it's really disarming."

"The past is in the past, Vaughn. Atlas is a fresh start. Yeah, I mean… I'll remember it, it happened, but it doesn't define me, alright?"

Vaughn's blue eyes pierced into him, indignant still. "Okay, fine. But why come back here again?"

"I – I don't…" His thoughts were suddenly jumbled, static.

"RHYS! How do I look?"

He could not have been happier at the sound of the excited voice from the other side of the office.

"Sasha! You look—"

Great, awesome, amazing, pretty, beautiful, goddamn gorgeous; all words he had intended to say. Not the ones he said, however.

"- not good! Take that off!"

"Hey! Fiona was the only one who got the cool gun, now she's the only one that gets the cool hat?" Sasha pulled the plum velvet cowboy hat down even tighter around the volume of her hair, clearly to spite him. "I don't care, I'm keeping it!"

Rhys cringed at the sight. "Okay, but that hat belonged to Handsome Jack's girlfriend."

"Oh ew." Sasha never swiped something off so quickly. "I'll have to wash it."

"You're still keeping it?"

"I dunno. I feel like it suits me."

"Well, maybe you should keep looking. Anything else over there?" Rhys took a single step towards her.

 _Crrrack_

He was halted by the sound of shattered glass. Lifting up his boot, he recognized the small fractured frame, Hyperion YellowTM, and a picture of a little girl trapped inside.

"Who's that?" asked Vaughn, watching as Rhys picked it up to inspect it.

"Jack's daughter, I guess. Kinda told me about her when we were in his office."

"I didn't even know he had a daughter." Vaughn wiggled the loose picture from the frame, holding it up closer to his de-spectacled face. Sasha soon joined his side.

Rhys shrugged. "Neither did I, he didn't like anyone knowing about her. I think he called her his 'Angel.'"

"Do you know where she is? Did she go down with Helios?"

"No she… she was already dead. Jack found out about it in the Helios database. She, uh, killed herself, apparently."

"Aw," Vaughn could finally focus his sight on the sunny freckles and smiling blue eyes. "That's sad. She seemed sort of happy here."

"Yeah, I thought so too," Rhys conceded, staring down at the empty frame in his hand. Almost empty.

Engraved center in the frame backing was a rectangular shape, smooth and shined and untouched by gritty Pandoran dust. Inside the shaped outline were etched letters, nearly translucent, the near-white lavender font only visible when the angle of the light had glanced upon it. Rhys rotated the frame left and right under the bright sun, eventually piecing the word HALO enclosed in a wide oval. With his natural hand, he wedged a fingernail between the rectangular engraving, prying it out of the frame. The smooth shape gave, releasing from its cut-out sheath.

"What's that?" Sasha asked, as Rhys dropped the frame to examine the thin dark silver brick.

"No Idea. Looks like a… a drive or something. But I don't see how to enter it anywhere."

Vaughn scratched at his beard. "Bring it back to Helios, maybe you can find out what it is in what's left of the database."

"Good idea, Vaughn." Rhys pocketed his discovery, just before noticing the sword that was equipped on Sasha's back. "What's that?"

"A katana."

"… Okay. I thought guns were more your speed."

Sasha pulled the sword from the sheath and waved it wildly in the air. "Oh definitely, but I thought it was going to be fun to show people. Maybe it's a collector's item, who knows?"

"Good point. Let's grab anything else we need and go."

"Not just yet," Sasha shook her head, "you never told us how your story ended."

Rhys wringed his hand in his robotic one. "Oh, yeah. Well, uh, not much more to it really. After I ripped out my cybernetics I crushed the ECHOeye… didn't want Jack to get out again. Then I passed out here a while, not sure how long exactly. Eventually I came to and took the rights to Atlas from Jack's trophy case. I wanted a fresh start. I found my way back to the biodome and began patching myself up and rebuilding Atlas. Just recently I was trying to make amends with you and Fiona, you know, over the whole leaving-me-on-Helios misunderstanding."

"We didn't mean to leave y-"

"I know that now. Loader bot kidnapped us but was in, like… a really weird disguise."

"Like, the weirdest," Vaughn interjected.

"Thanks Vaughn, yes, like the weirdest. Anyways he made us talk about how we found Gortys. Really cleared some things up, I think." He folded his arms against his chest. "And then you know the rest."

"I'm… I'm sorry we didn't find you earlier." Sasha adjusted her cast, wincing at the pain. "I can't even imagine how you felt after all that."

Vaughn raised his hand. "Me too. The Children of Helios would have been more than happy to help you out."

"Yeah that… T-that still makes me a little uncomfortable." Rhys turned his back to the office, resting his eyes on the Hyperion bodies amongst the litter of rubble, then to the moon. With the sun setting and painting the sky in a dusty bronze, the view of Elpis and its craters had never glowed brighter. Maybe it had. No one would have been able to tell if it had still been obstructed by that towering space station.

"Let's get back to Helios."

"Wait, Rhys, what do you think I should I do with this?" Vaughn still clung to the image of Jack's little girl in his hands.

"It was Jack's. Leave it here." Rhys continued down the office steps, not about to wait up on them.

Vaughn reluctantly opened his hand to let the wind take it. The picture swayed briefly in the breeze as he left, finally coming to rest in the sand beneath an impaled Hyperion YellowTM arm.

* * *

*Trademark Pending


	2. Burn and Turn

"Read 'em and weep, girls!"

The winner slammed her pocket aces on the table, gathering the toppling pile of makeshift chips into her corner. Collective sighs greeted her victory.

Athena's losing cards scattered across the table. "You do know you have nine million dollars to bet with, right?"

"I know! Isn't it great?" Fiona fanned a wad of cash, flipping through each bill with her finger. "Add that to the loot Sasha nabbed and we might as well have the ten million we wanted in the first place."

"Do you know how many lunches you can buy with that kind of cash?" asked Yvette as she grabbed the remaining cards from Janey and shuffled the deck.

"That's an… oddly specific measurement of money." Fiona arranged her many towers of chip stacks. "Vaughn would probably know."

"It was more of a rhetorical question."

"Oh."

She lifted her new hand from the table. A Queen of Spades. A Jack of Hearts. A good hand, at least without another literal ace up her sleeve.

By her turn, Janey picked up her two cards, grimaced, and pushed them away. Fiona did not have to be a master at reading people to know Janey's poker face was awful. Unlike her fiancé, whose stone cold face was neigh impenetrable.

"When are the others getting back anyways?" Janey asked, her sweet voice thick with an Elpian accent. "They've been gone a while."

"Eh, I'm not worried." Fiona kicked back her seat and rested her boots on the table. "Rhys and I travelled a hundred dimensions just to get back to Pandora; he can find his way back to Helios."

"A hundred dimensions?" Athena's poker face gave way to curiosity. "What exactly was in that Vault?"

"Some portal chest thing that took us to a different dimension every time we opened it. Let me tell you there are some things out there I never want to see again – including Rhys blubbering like a baby."

"Rhys was crying?" Yvette poorly hid her grin, almost as if she enjoyed the thought.

Fiona nodded. "Oh yeah. He kept screaming stuff like 'how will we ever get back?', 'I don't want to die here!', 'Fiona, you are so much better than me at everything, please save me!'"

"I never said that."

The four turned to find a disgruntled Rhys, arms folded across his chest, trailing behind Sasha and Vaughn at the room's opening.

"A-at least not that last part."

He dismissed himself from the conversation with haste, focusing his attention to the computers stacked in the corner of the room. Vaughn kneeled on the ground besides him, striking flint above a charred circle of leftover firewood.

"Fiona, you better not be betting all our money away," Sasha chided, positioning herself behind her sister to sneak a peek at her cards.

"Are you kidding? I'm doubling it." Fiona placed her chips on the table, one by one, clanking with the rhythm of striking flint. A hefty bet at one thousand in chips and Yvette and Athena folded their hands, begrudgingly pushing the pot towards her. "See? Just won with a queen and a jack."

"Yeah, great. Hey check out this cool sword!" Sasha interrupted the game, unsheathing the katana from her back with her good arm and extending it out over the poker table.

The sharpened steel reflected the light of dying day and catching fire into Fiona's eyes. "Where'd you get that?"

"Jack's office, or what was left of it. Does anyone want to buy this off of me?"

"I-"

"We're saving for our wedding, sorry." Janey interrupted her fiancé, restricting Athena's eager hand in her own. "We've already lost too much to your sister here."

"Come on guys, I don't want to carry this everywhere," Sasha nearly returned the sword to its sheath before Fiona stopped her.

"Wait, what about Yvette?"

"Me?" The ex-Hyperion scoffed. "What would I do with that?"

"Think about it. Last time I saw you, I knocked you out cold with a fist to the face," Fiona said, following with a quick apologetic smile. "Sorry about that, by the way."

"I might have deserved that, at the time." Yvette's face flushed some shade of red. "But what does that have to do with a sword?"

"Fiona's right," Athena said. "Here on Pandora you have to learn how to survive, and to do that you have to learn to make do. I have a shield, my mercenary experience. Fiona has her wits and sharp eye. Sasha has her guns, Vaughn has his leadership. Rhys has…"

The women turned to Rhys, slamming a rectangular brick into the keyboard and uttering silent curses every few attempts.

"… his, uh, charisma."

"Oh, you don't have to sugar-coat it. No one is more surprised than I am that Rhys is still alive," Yvette said, shaking her head. "But you really think a sword is my key to survival?"

"Never said it was." The Vault Hunter raised her shield above the table. "I didn't choose a shield to protect me, but it's what I have. If a sword is what you're given to survive out here, take it. Anything is better than nothing, especially when all you have now is the shell of a hated space station and some sunbaked accountants."

"And learn how to take a punch," added Fiona, waving a half-hearted fist.

Yvette sighed, resigned, and shuffled through the depths of her pockets. "Fine, fine. Since you guys won't let up. This means I'm out of the game, now," she said, forking over her stash to Sasha. She gripped the katana's handle, her wrist shaking under the weight.

"You'll need practice, but you'll get the hang of it," Athena assured her, glaring down across the chips and cards on the poker table. "We should end the game anyways, before Fiona steals all of our money."

Yvette side-eyed the con artist. "Someone definitely owes me a lunch for this."

"What about a… _knuckle sandwich_? Eh heh."

"Enough with the punching jokes."

"Sorry."

Fiona collected her loosely earned winnings and joined her sister near the roaring fire, courtesy of Vaughn, and soaked in the heat that night had stolen. Holding her open hands to the fire, Fiona noticed Rhys behind the crackling flames, still struggling with the computers.

"What'cha doin' there?"

"Nothing, just… trying to find a file." Rhys' fingers furiously pecked at the keyboards, accompanied by the faint beeping alarms of failed security clearance.

"Rhys found a computer drive in Jack's office," Vaughn explained. "There might be something about it in the Helios database."

Fiona's eyebrows furrowed as she pushed hanging hair from her face. "I thought we learned Handsome Jack and computer drives don't mix well. Especially for you."

He didn't respond. Perhaps a stinging pang of guilt caused her to bite a lip and fiddle with her fingers. Perhaps she crossed a line with Handsome Jack, with Rhys. A burning stare from her sister confirmed it, but she was not about to apologize either.

Athena, Janey, and Yvette joined them by the fire, eyeing Rhys as he continued to type and occasionally pause to inspect the drive.

"Where's uh… where's Loader Bot and Gortys? And Cassius?" Vaughn asked, noticing the headcount was suspiciously low, and attempting to lure away tension.

Fiona lay back as she recalled their whereabouts, her palms cool against the steel floor. "Loader bot and Gortys took a tour around Helios – I believe those two deserve a cute night out together. As for Cassius I think all the action might have worn the poor guy out and he called it in early for the night."

Vaughn shrugged. "Oh, that's good, I guess. Does he know where all the beds are – "

"FOUND SOMETHING!"

Their company jumped at Rhys' sudden outcry, finding the computer screens were littered with dozens of flickering windows all labeled 'HALO'.

"What's that?" Fiona asked, standing herself up.

"Hmm, still seems to have some serious security on this thing. Must be some top secret project – has to be, the way I found it. But I was able to hack into the lower level information files."

He enlarged a window for the others to read.

 **The HALO Project**

 _Professor Nakayama – in collaboration with Handsome Jack – embarked on the HALO Project exclusively on Handsome Jack's orders after he witnessed the successful Artificial Intelligence integration in his own image. The new project required a unique subject. Nakayama was granted special access to restricted intelligence in an effort to create the most comprehensive Hyperion database system in history._

 **UPDATE:** _Upon subject's death, the HALO Project will continue. All necessary data from the subject has been collected, and construction is underway. A prototype of the project has been given to Handsome Jack. Efforts have been pushed on his orders._

 **UPDATE:** _Upon Handsome Jack's death, the HALO Project will continue but will not receive adequate funding for full completion. The prototype will be remotely updated. Testing will soon begin._

 **UPDATE:** _Upon Nakayama's death, the HALO Project has been discontinued. Results inconclusive. Security level has been lowered._

"All this for some failed Hyperion database system? That's a little disappointing." Rhys clicked through several more windows but none presented more information about the project.

Fiona swiped the silver drive from the keyboard, squinting at the translucent label. "What's this then?"

"Maybe it's the prototype they gave Jack." Rhys opened his hand for her to return it. "I don't know how to activate it – not really sure if I want to. But we can't leave it in Helios."

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do with it?" She placed the drive in his hand, watching as he slipped it into his coat pocket.

"Not sure. But having a Hyperion project around Helios just seems like a bad idea. I might be able to find out more if I can install it on my isolated Atlas computers. There'll be less damage that way if it does turn out to be another homicidal AI."

"Can't you just scan the thing with your robo-eye?"

"I-I… No, I can't," Rhys stuttered, "It doesn't work like that anymore. My replacement cybernetics aren't connected to the ECHOnet."

"Alright, whatever, do what you need to. But if it's something that's gonna try to get us killed just don't get me or Sasha involved. We're done with Atlas and Hyperion and all their harebrained projects after this."

"Uhhhhhh…" Rhys and Sasha started in unison.

"'Uh'?" Fiona asked, glancing between her sister and the company man. "'Uh' what?"

Sasha spoke up on his behalf. "Yeah, uh, about that… Rhys offered me a job at Atlas while we were walking back from Jack's office. He said I would make a good weapons tester and I could help him design new prototypes."

"Of course he did." Placing her hands on her hips, Fiona shot a burning glare into Rhys. He was quick to return the favor.

"What? It's a good opportunity for her. I mean, a good paying job working with guns. It's a perfect fit. I thought you wanted a better for her than conning the rest of your lives."

She opened her mouth to utter a usual snide quip but… he had a point. Nine million dollars from Felix was enough to spare them a lifetime of hustling poor saps for extra cash, but that was all they knew. Now that she had dedicated herself to a life as an aspiring Vault Hunter, she had left her sister in Hollow Point searching for mundane jobs. Sasha deserved better than a life cooped up in a cave on the outskirts of Pandora's Badlands – even if that meant she chose it with Rhys, working under a ruined corporate name.

"Fine. Just don't get her involved in whatever this is."

"I can take care of myself, Fi," Sasha cut in.

She glanced down at Sasha, the fire illuminating her face in a golden hue. Fiona's eyes wandered to the cast, snug and tight, nestling a broken arm underneath her chest.

"I know. We'll talk about it more in the morning."

Vaughn stood suddenly, clapping his hands together. "Well, this has been an exciting day! Loader Bot and Gortys returned, we kicked Vault Monster ass, Sasha came back from the dead, good times. Definitely stories to tell the grandchildren, right? But I think we should, uh, hit the hay now."

He paused, receiving blank stares from the group. "Right, okay, let me show everyone to the sleeping rooms we have."

The team shuffled to their feet and followed Vaughn into a connecting hallway, lit along its length with blinking buttons. Fiona waited for the others to pass, rubbing her eyes in admitted exhaustion. She knew Vaughn's eager suggestion was meant to avoid further conflict, but a night's rest in a real bed after a week of sleeping in dust and drool and duct tape sounded like a good idea.

Instead, Athena gripped Fiona's arm, firmly holding her by the fire while the group continued onwards.

"I wanted to talk to you. Alone."

"Athena? Can this wait until morning?"

"No." Athena peeked over Fiona's shoulder, ensuring the group had disappeared within the darkness of the hallway. "It's about my marriage with Janey."

"I thought you wanted to get married?"

"Yes, of course I do, but…" Athena sighed, pacing around the dwindling fire. "There are certain things I have to give up first."

"You mean Vault Hunting?" Fiona remembered the betrayal in Janey's voice back in Scooter's shop. Athena loved few things in life, but she loved Janey, and she loved Vault Hunting. At some point she would have to choose between the two.

"Yes. I'm… grateful, you invited me and Springs for this Vault mission. I think this might have to be my last."

Fiona shrugged. "That's okay, right? You and Janey seem happy together. You shouldn't risk that doing something so dangerous."

"You're right. Are you willing to risk it?"

"What?"

Athena pulled an ECHO from her belt, shoving it into Fiona's hands. "Play the message."

Fiona's finger wavered over the play button before pressing down with a teal-painted nail. Flickering sound waves flashed onto the screen as a sprightly male voice emitted from the device.

"Testing… testing… is this thing on… Oh! Hey, this is a recorded message for Athena, ex-mercenary of the Crimson Lance. This is X-Ray –specialty weapons specialist. Y'know, I was an ex-something too… ex-Slab, before Hyperion fell outta the sky. If you're hearing this, we're interested in hiring someone with your skill to join our team of Vault Hunters.

"Truth is, one of our own is retiring – can you believe that? Retiring on Pandora. Bless the guy, but Doppler will need a replacement. Says he's heard about what you can do and wants to train ya in what he knows. I gotta say you've got an impressive rap sheet. Can't complain.

"Anyways, the coordinates to the meeting point are on the ECHO. We'll be waiting for ya there for three days. If you don't show your face by then I guess we'll assume you aren't interested. But you really shouldn't pass this offer up. X-Ray signing out."

The ECHO cut from the message, and the screen reappeared with a digital map. A blinking diamond marked the path. Fiona shook her head. "Why are you showing me this?"

"Because I got that message yesterday, and it will still be valid tomorrow. I wasn't going to go through with it, not when I promised Janey I was going to quit my line of work. I'm getting married. But you?" Athena pushed the ECHO closer to Fiona's chest. "This seems like the perfect opportunity to learn more about Vault Hunting."

"Me?" Fiona replayed the message through her head, searching for a loophole. "They said they wanted you. I'm _not_ you. I can't do half the stuff you can."

"Which is why you need this. Look, I'll record a message on the ECHO explaining my absence and vouch for you. If they don't like the offer, they'll leave. It's worth a shot if it means you can learn how to fight besides real Vault Hunters."

"Do you even know these guys?"

"No, never heard of them. But that's not an excuse. Anything is better than nothing out here."

Fiona traced the buttons on the ECHO with her finger. Everything was moving so fast. Normally that would bode well for a con artist, with a sleight of hand and a trick of the eye and everything would fall in her favor. No – things don't always go according to plan. The dreams of escaping Pandora, sipping fruity drinks with Sasha on some nicer planet's beach, those were never going to happen. Not on a fault or misfortune of their own, just a change in plans.

She closed her eyes, sensing the Vault of the Traveler's pulsing glow in the bleak distance. Those hundred dimensions danced across her eyelids like a slideshow, never one lingering long enough for her to grasp where she had been. Towering grass concealing hungry eyes. Bubbling lava. Precarious mountain cliff sides. A suffocating purple void. Maybe she missed one in the panic. Unbeknownst to Rhys, she was no less terrified than he was.

Her fingers left the ECHO and searched beneath the cuff of her sleeve for the fold of a card. Pinching the corner, she tugged the ace from her sleeve and unfolded the worn thing, the 'A' nearly rubbed off with use. Athena's face slackened at the realization.

"You cheated."

"Con artist."

Fiona folded the ace again. She reluctantly opened her hand to let the wind take it. The card swayed briefly in the breeze, finally coming to rest in the low burning remains of the campfire.

"I _was_ a con artist. I want to be a Vault Hunter."


	3. Hit the Road

Knocking on the sisters' door was exactly like flipping a coin – at least in _his_ mind – which was why his clammy fist hovered parallel to the locked metal frame. It was uncertain how long he had stood there as morning sun trickled through cracks of the hallway, his knuckles pressed white against peeling yellow paint, but the longer he delayed it, the longer he delayed the inevitable sour turn of the coin. Besides whichever sister opened the door, he would also inevitably wake whichever one was snoring like a buzz saw, sending vibrations under the door through his boots. Hopefully, he would be greeted by the more merciful one.

Rhys inhaled and retreated his closed hand from the door, ready to thrust it forward. The door opened as he did, and his fist made contact with something very different from metal.

"Ow! Wha- Rhys, what the hell?"

"Sasha! I didn't – shit, I didn't mean to do that!" Rhys attempted to rub Sasha's forehead where he had knocked on her skull, but her hand flung his away.

"Shh! Keep it down, Fiona's still sleeping. What the hell are you doing standing out here? You didn't think I could hear you hyperventilating?"

"I-I wasn't… _hyperventilating_ …"

"You were breathing like a wounded skag. It's bad enough I live with Fiona's snoring."

Sasha jutted a thumb over her shoulder, inviting Rhys to glance into the room. The bed immediately behind her hosted a lumpy, contorted blanket, barely covering the limbs that twisted in wild directions beneath it. Fiona's mouth hung wide – not drooling, to her credit, but snarling with every obscene guttural utterance.

"That's um, yeah… yikes."

"Yeah." She nestled her healthy arm under the casted one, looking back at her sleeping sister. "But she had a long day yesterday. She gets that way when she's too tired. So, what do you want?"

"Vaughn asked me to get everybody up for one last goodbye. He wants to make the day special, you know?" Rhys mirrored Sasha, crossing his arms. "Since we're leaving today?"

"For Atlas? Yeah…" her voice trailed off.

"You don't have to sound so excited." Rhys shook his head, flashing a faint smile. "Hey, it's not like we're leaving forever. You'll visit Fiona in Hollow Point and I'll come back to Helios to visit Vaughn. Cassius might visit somebody… maybe… probably not."

"That's going to be difficult when Fiona's not in Hollow Point," Sasha said, staring intently at the ground. Her white tank top wrinkled as she shrugged her shoulders. "She's accepting a new job today too, hanging out with a bunch of Vault Hunters."

"Okay, I might be wrong, but I think I'm sensing a _little_ hostility."

She was silent a while, her eyes continuing to aimlessly scan the floor. "I don't know. I should be happy for her, right? Maybe it's just… knowing all our plans to get off Pandora aren't happening as soon as we thought."

"Well, I have some ground property on Eden 5, you can come with me to – "

Witnessing her frown downturn further prompted a revision in his statement, "You and Fiona can still travel together, and you guys have the money."

"It's not about the money anymore. It's what we want that's changed."

Rhys understood full well the feeling.

Sasha laughed, attempting to relieve her tension. "I guess… it's like what August said. Plans change."

"Yeah, right. August."

During their travels to find the Vault, Rhys had not been too concerned about August. Concerned about the gun he too readily aimed at everyone's head, yes, but not the status he held as Sasha's unstable ex-boyfriend. But hearing her mention his name now, even after all the time they spent apart, caused his pulse to quake in his chest.

"Well, I'll meet you in the control room." His exit strategy wasn't the most graceful he realized as he quickly shuffled off down the hallway, Sasha strangely glaring at his back. But then again, goodbyes were never his specialty.

* * *

The click of locking metal, followed close by heavy footsteps, were the only sounds she could distinguish from reality. Her mind ran unusually blank. With no dreams to entertain her in sleep, the cushiony nest of blankets and pillows offered a drifting comfort.

"Fiona? Fi, get up."

The words filtered through her ears but did not register. Her half-conscious hands fumbled for the blanket's hem, tugging it further above her chest in defiance.

"Oh you – fine."

Slim fingers dug into the blanket, clutching the folds between the knuckles, and ripped the fabric from the contours of her body. Fiona's previously sprawled limbs recoiled, the room's cold musky air assaulting her vulnerable skin. "Hey! Give that back!" Slurred speech tumbled from her lips as she desperately wrestled the blanket from her sister's hands. Her sight was still blurred, her eyes fogged over with bleary sleep.

"We're getting up now. Vaughn wants us all to meet up soon, before we leave."

Sasha's voice proved colder than the air. Fiona surrendered the blanket and sat up, stretching her arms and back. "What's up? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Sasha said, shrugging her jacket over her shoulders and fixing her headband. "I'm just… sad to say goodbye."

Fiona was not entirely convinced by her answer, but dropped the subject anyways. "I know, but hey, it's not like we're leaving forever. I can come visit you at the biodome."

"You sound like Rhys sometimes."

Resting the tips of her fingers above her chest, Fiona breathed an insulted gasp as she leaned back in dramatic pose. "You can't expect me to _not_ take that personally."

Sasha didn't respond, sitting on her bed and clumsily slipping on her shoes with one hand. That familiar stinging guilt from last night built up in Fiona's chest again.

"You know, I don't really think Rhys is that bad. I even told him in the Vault, I thought we made a great team. I'm just giving him a hard time, mostly to make up for everything we had to go through."

"That wasn't entirely Rhys' fault. We were the ones that were conning them out of ten million dollars. And the Handsome Jack thing… I don't blame him now, not for _all_ of that."

"What, you don't blame him for waiting until the last minute to tell us about it?" Fiona threw herself from the bed, fully awake, and started to scavenge the room for her clothes.

"I mean, he was right, we did react badly." She managed to crack a smile, picking up her sister's hat from the floor and flinging it towards her. "But he stayed with us. Jack nearly killed him, anyways. I think that probably makes up for any wrong he did."

"You're just sweet on him," Fiona teased, adjusting the black hat to cover her bed head. Dismissing and diverting was her best method of avoiding the issue. "You should probably know I gave him my 'blessing'. It's obvious he's had a thing for you. Though, now that he's your current employer, I'm kind of starting to regret it now."

Sasha buried her reddening face in her hands. " _Fiona…_ "

"Hey, it's your fault for telling me the flower story. And I never thought _you_ of all people would take a corporate job."

She lifted her face, shaking her head. "Me neither. I gotta say, even though Hyperion was a horrible, bloodthirsty corporation, I did love that view. The biodome is different but… it still seems like a world away from Pandora."

Fiona fastened the finishing touches of her outfit – the tightened straps of her boots, the knife holster hugging her thigh, the laced strings of her collar. "Athena said the best thing about Atlas was their amazing lattés. I'm just saying, maybe there's more to working at a place than their little perks."

"It's not just the perks, Fiona. You're leaving me to run around Pandora looking for Vaults, and we never got to see a world other than this. Taking this job might be my best chance to get off this rock and do something with my life, with or without you."

Both their eyes widened.

"Ah, so that is what this is about."

"Fi, it's not like that. I know what I just said was a little harsh, but – "

"No. I get it. I haven't been very considerate of what you wanted, have I?"

"Like I said, I didn't mean it like that." Sasha tended to her arm again, a forming habit. "You have bigger and better things to do. Maybe I'm just jealous… or maybe I think you've outgrown me. I don't know. I just want a dream to chase too."

"I don't blame you. Things are different now. But we're sisters; I'll never 'outgrow' you." Fiona ginned, trying to lighten the mood, "You're stuck with me, like it or not."

"Yeah, I guess that's true. Come on, let's go before Rhys tries to wake us up again." Sasha still feigned a friendly tone, but Fiona knew better than to press her further. She stood up from her bed and opened the door, welcoming in the sunlight that blinded Fiona's unadjusted eyes.

The sisters traveled in silence through the blinking corridor, following the heated sunlight on their faces. It wasn't long before they heard the rumble of the buzzard's engine roaring above voices – some jovial, some tired, some serious. Though, one rose from the rest, flooded with concern.

"Fiona?" The high, robotic voice approached her at the lip of the hallway, accompanied with unmistakably distraught angled lids. "You're all going away?"

"Oh, Gortys," Fiona started, kneeling to the little robot's level and shifting into a gentle tone, "we're not going away forever."

"That's what I told her!" Rhys interrupted, standing beside Loader Bot.

Gortys' voice wavered as she stared at Fiona's boots. "B-but we're a team. We're friends. And friends stay together, right?"

"Of course we are. We're all friends." Fiona glanced at Rhys a moment. He met her with a slight nod before she continued, "But we have different adventures to go on right now. We'll see each other again, I promise."

She didn't respond, instead rolling into Fiona and embracing her calves with thin arms. "I'll miss you."

Fiona's heart melted at the gesture and she returned the affection with a pat on her head, "I'll miss you too, Gortys."

Loader Bot spoke in his mechanical monotone. "Gortys and I will stay here at Helios and the Vault of the Traveler. We will meet here when you are done with your adventures."

"Sounds like a plan, LB," agreed Rhys.

After Gortys broke from the embrace, a slight wave from Athena and Janey, standing at a distance from the rest, caught Fiona's attention. The pair motioned the late-arriving sisters wearing eager smiles across their faces – natural from Janey, nothing short of unexpected from Athena.

"Uh, what's up guys?" Fiona hoped her suspicion was not revealed in her tone.

Janey grabbed her wrist as well as Sasha's and pulled them towards her with barely-concealed excitement. "Before you all take off, we wanted to ask you two something!"

"What is it?" Sasha mirrored the excitement, leaning in with anticipation.

"Well, we were wondering if you wanted to be…" unable to contain herself, Janey released their wrists, fanning her hands in the air in a 'ta-da' motion. "Our bridesmaids!"

Fiona turned to Athena, surprised to see her with expectant wide eyes, as supportive of the idea as Janey was. "A-are you serious? Of course!"

Sasha nodded. "Definitely! It'll be fun!"

"Great! Woo, that's a relief. I wasn't sure what you'd say, being off on all your travels and such. It's still a long ways off, but it's good to know when the time comes. That reminds me, Fiona, Athena told me about that Vault Hunter group you were going to meet up with. I'll be happy to drop you off there with my car."

She sensed her sister's soured expression, but Fiona pretended not to notice. "Yeah, that sounds good. Thank you."

"Not a problem for our future bridesmaid."

"You still got that lucky bullet of yours?" Athena inquired, handing her the ECHO presumably with her pre-recorded message.

If she were being honest, the bullet had nearly slipped her mind. Of her time training herself to survive as a Vault Hunter in Pandora's desolate environments, she had never found the need. After a while, rakks and skags and psychos all proved easy enough to put down with a few well-placed elemental shots. Even with more testing adversaries, none were worthy of _that_ bullet. Her fingers wandered to the small pocket she had sewn special into her jacket, finding the hard steel shell still sitting inside. "I have it."

"Good. Remember it."

"I will." Athena's advice was likely meant with good intentions, but Fiona couldn't help but find her reminder rather ominous.

"Okay, my turn!" Rhys interrupted the gathering with Vaughn and Yvette by his side. "Don't think you can leave without saying goodbye."

It took Fiona a moment to realize he was talking to her, and not Sasha. "What, you mean me? I thought you'd be happy to get me out of your hair."

"After what we've gone through? Look, we might have gotten on each other's nerve every once in a while… a lot… okay, every single day we were kidnapped together. But like Gortys said, we're a team. I figured at least a proper farewell was in order."

The sides of her lips slipped into a smirk. "Fair enough." She opened her hand for a welcoming handshake, offering it to Rhys. He shook his head.

"You can do better than that." Rhys outstretched his arms to either side. "Come on, bring it in Fiona."

Her initial instinct was to resist his suggestion. Maybe a week of spitting and punching and insulting him conditioned her that way. Glaring first at Rhys' chrome hand, and then to his golden, inactive eye, she reluctantly conceded. With a hesitant step forward, she wrapped her arms around his slender body. "Fine, you lying Hyperion jackass."

Rhys let out a single genuine laugh, perhaps along with some surprise, and returned the warm albeit awkward embrace. "Thanks, you scheming Pandoran scum."

Another lingering thought crossed her mind. She turned her head and lifted herself to her toes, nearing her mouth at his ear level, and whispered, "Be careful, don't let that blessing go to your head. And make sure… make sure she doesn't get herself killed again."

With another slight turn of her head she witnessed Rhys' expression fall into seriousness, just as he let her go. "I'll try."

"Ah, and don't forget these!" Vaughn stepped in, unknowingly shifting the mood once again, and handed everyone a small satchel. "They're little going away gifts, mostly with food and ammo. It's the least we could do."

"Thanks, Vaughn. You didn't have to do that." Fiona tugged the string-tied opening of her bag loose and rummaged through its contents. Fruit – of course, what else would it be? Ammo – to her pleasant surprise they were exclusively pistol rounds, personalized for her gun of choice. And a single slip of paper, which Fiona pulled from the bag to read its frilly cursive.

 _U. O. Me._

 _One lunch for Yvette_

"I had to make sure you didn't forget." The note's author laughed as Fiona read it and lifted a curious brow.

"Noted. Good luck, Yvette." This time, her offer for a handshake took, and she was relieved that Yvette spared her from another awkward hugging session.

With a last bro-fist from Vaughn and a parting wave from Cassius, the final person that remained for her goodbye was her sister. Sasha lips were sealed tight refusing to speak first, but she didn't need too. Faint rouge framed her eyes and the green of her irises glistened like watered emerald; it was a telltale sign of her anger, or sadness, or usually and in this case, probably both.

"Sasha," Fiona said, "I know we're going our separate ways but… I'll still be there for you when you need me. That won't ever change."

A breathy laugh escaped from her sister. "I know, Fi. You don't need to make this so dramatic. I hope you take care of yourself out there."

"You too." Fiona couldn't help glancing at Sasha's cast once more, instilling guilty self-consciousness in her sister. It was no secret Sasha's near-death experience made their parting a tale in caution. Entrusting Rhys with Sasha's life was, in retrospect, questionable. Rhys could barely ensure his own survival. But as long as she knew he was one more person that wouldn't let her make stupid sacrifices in her absence, it was a back-up plan she was willing to take. With a motherly gentleness, Fiona carefully avoided Sasha's broken arm and pulled her in for one last hug, one she wanted. It was never a promise she could do this again.

"Are you ready to go?" Athena asked after Fiona had satisfied her goodbyes. Janey had already hopped into the driver seat of the car, starting up the engine to rival that of the buzzard.

"As I'll ever be." Fiona revolved the barrel of her derringer and pushed it back under her sleeve. With unsure hands, she climbed into the gunner seat and sat down on the newly remodeled upholstery.

"Now, that ECHO has my message for the Vault Hunters. Show it to them if they have any questions about you," Athena shouted over the engine. "If you ever find yourself in need help, you can call me. But try not to."

Athena always did have a way with words.

"Oh, and if you should run into a woman named Lilith, don't mention me."

"Why not?"

The gladiator scowled, resting her rough hands on her hips. "Bad business there. Best for you not to get involved with the lot in Sanctuary. You've already met Brick and Mordecai. Their team may be the best Vault Hunters on Pandora and have the power of two sirens, but they can hold grudges. Especially Lilith."

Fiona smiled. "And you don't?"

Athena raised her eyebrows, impressed with the retort. "Fair point."

Fiona scanned the heads of her friends in Helios, talking and laughing and ready for the rest of their lives, free of trepidation.

"Fiona," Athena spoke again, as if she sensed her worry. "When I said you'll do fine out there, I meant it."

For once, her reassuring words provided actual reassurance. Fiona tipped her hat, giving a nod to Janey. "Thanks. I hope you're right."

Janey stepped on the gas and whisked Fiona away from Helios with screeching tires and a cloud of dust. The figure of her sister became harder and harder to distinguish as they drove towards the morning sun, until even Helios itself disappeared behind the horizon.

* * *

"Oh, here, let me help you." Rhys took hold of Sasha's hand, offering her balance as she entered the buzzard seat. They had asked Janey to install more seats in the buzzard so they wouldn't have to cling onto the edges of the flying vehicle. Unfortunately, it seemed she could only install one additional seat in its narrow frame, meaning Sasha, Rhys, and Cassius would have to get comfortable.

It would be a tight fit, sure, but he was curious if they could fit one more. "You know, my offer still stands."

Vaughn responded with a confident shake of his head. "Nah, I can't just leave the Children of Helios alone out here. Someone's gotta lead them."

When Rhys had offered Sasha an Atlas job during their trek back form Jack's office, he had also extended a similar offer for an accounting position to Vaughn. He was sure he could predict their reactions – Vaughn with an enthusiastic acceptance, Sasha with a reluctant decline. Yet, they both acted so different than the vision in his head, he was ashamed he didn't know his friends nearly as well as he thought. It was clear to him that he wasn't the only one who had changed during their separation.

"Well, maybe when we get Atlas up and running again, I'll hire some of these guys back too. You know, if they're not too afraid of clamping their 'corporate shackles' back on."

Vaughn beamed. "Rhys, the Children of Helios idolize you. As long as Atlas doesn't become a tyrannical overlord like Hyperion was, I'm sure they'd be more than willing to take any jobs you might have. I might think about it too, as long as I can do more than tabulating numbers all day."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

Rhys, in an oddly sentimental mood, hugged his friend for a last goodbye. He wasn't about to hug Yvette, but a friendly salute and wink would suffice.

"Come on, Rhys. Let's hit the road… or -or air, I guess."

"I'm coming, Sash."

Rhys climbed into the buzzard and took the central seat next to her, gripping the steering controls. Cassius followed, and the discomfort of cramping three people into a two-person seat became immediately apparent.

"Good luck!" Vaughn yelled over the buzzard's engine, waving as the vehicle lifted from the ground and hovered in the air. With a faint smile, Rhys waved back, before pressing the controls forward and propelling the buzzard towards their destination.


	4. Radio Silence

**NOTE: For better immersion with this chapter, I recommend opening the following songs to play during particular parts.**

 **RECOMMENDED (Introduction Song): Young - Vallis Alps**  
 **Played from the line "We'll be back right after this."**

 **OPTIONAL: MainFrame - Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel's Claptastic Voyage**  
 **Played from the line "An electronic melody began - "**

* * *

"Is that… Hollow Point?"

"Mhmm. Why?"

Sasha dangled her left leg off the side of the flying buzzard, scarcely paying the cave below any mind as she answered Rhys' question.

"There's a huge radio tower sticking out of it. I'm not the only one who sees that, right?"

"No you are not," Cassius confirmed.

"That's Radio Hollow Point," Sasha answered, upholding a sense of indifference in her home cave. "The station really expanded after the new managers came in. It's definitely not the same since I worked there."

"You worked at a radio station?" Rhys asked. "I didn't know that."

Without skipping a beat, Sasha snapped from her hazy look and placed a finger on an imaginary earpiece, smoothing her voice like cloth under iron. "Good evening Hollow Point! DJ Rakk Attack here with your wave in the cave. Coming up: your daily dose of 'What the Hell, Hyperion?' debates. But first, your favorite Pandoran hits."

"So it's an anti-Hyperion channel." Rhys chuckled, silently wondering how defensive he would have been if she had told him this on the day of the botched Vault key deal.

"It was an anti-Hyperion channel. New managers came in and upgraded the area the station covered for miles outside of Hollow Point, and changed the subject from anti-Hyperion to anti-corporations. There wasn't much point blabbing about Hyperion once Helios fell. At that point I started to take up delivery jobs for Janey."

Rhys turned the knobs on the buzzard's radio, tuning through static and faint stations broadcasting in foreign language. "Guess it would be a good idea to listen to what criticisms they have about corporations, being the president of one. What's the frequency?"

"You're listening to my- their station? I mean, you can. I just don't think their music selection is as good as mine was." Sasha gripped onto the sides of the buzzard, wearing an expression caught somewhere between envy and flattery.

"I don't doubt that. Wait, I think I got it."

The radio emitted blaring static before a young woman's voice arose from the noise, calm, warm.

"Good afternoon, Radio Hollow Point listeners. This is Wave in the cave. Today, on the anniversary, we pay our respects to Helios: the old branded symbol of Hyperion's tyranny and oppression now lost somewhere in the deserts of Pandora. Vault Hunters have scoured the wreckage searching for abandoned riches – finding no Hyperion survivors. We people of Pandora are free to claim back what is ours. Even after all this time, no official word of cause has been identified. But one thing is for certain: this planet is in debt to the brave soul that sent Handsome Jack's legacy crashing into flames."

"Maybe we should change the channel…" Sasha meekly suggested, attempting to slip her fingers onto the knob, but Rhys kept a firm grip on it.

"We at Radio Hollow Point are currently recruiting experienced Vault Hunters to infiltrate the Helios base. Fame, fortune, and exclusive interviews at our station await you."

"I hope Vaughn's alright," Rhys muttered, soliciting a soft stare from Sasha.

"He'll be fine. Vaughn's kept them safe this long. He's not going to let his guard down now."

"Yeah… yeah, I guess you're right."

"We'll be right back after this." The woman's voice cut out. Replaced instead was a swelling electronic ringing, soon accompanied with an ethereal melody and pulsating beat. It was the start of a song, the start of… something. Perhaps the long-awaited beginning of a new story.

* * *

Fiona found some comfort listening to her sister's old radio station as her body rocked with the vehicle. Though, the musical beat did not completely drown out Janey's ramblings about colors, dresses, venues, budgets, dishes, invitations, flowers, accented napkins. As guilty as she was that she couldn't focus her attention on Janey's wedding plans, her mind was overflowing with enough worries and what-ifs to consume her, and the last thing she cared about was the arrangement of the bouquet she would be holding months from now.

Spanning out for miles, every direction held nothing but golden desert sand. Rough patches of rocks slipped under the tires, and her body trembled with the violent vibrations they sent through the metal frame of the car. Janey paused from spouting her plans after the vibrations shook her voice, or perhaps she noticed Fiona's prolonged disinterest. No matter. Fiona wondered how long it would be until they reached the rendezvous point. For the time being, she found solace in the song, in her revolving pistol, and in the moon, stationary and constant.

* * *

Elpis remained in Rhys' view, seemingly much closer now that he was airborne. They were well past Hollow Point now, aided by the speed of the buzzard, but the song still clearly came through. Misty lavender skies painted the mountainous landscape in rich purples, hiding the horrible Pandoran things that lived in the cliff sides under an array of beautiful shades. The moon's circle craters and sprawling cracks radiated a rosy glow, cutting the mist into rays of white and pink light.

Rhys glanced in Sasha's direction as she swayed to the beat of the music. If she still wore her dreads long her hair would be rippling with the breeze now; cropped short it left her neck and collarbone exposed, offering a new rendition of her signature wild Pandoran style, yet reserved. Matured.

The higher altitude did not fare kind temperatures as they continued north. The air hung with the bitter, biting mist and frost, and Sasha curled into herself to protect whatever areas of skin were not covered from her outfit. Rhys gripped the edge of his custom coat. Careful not to nudge Cassius, he peeled it off from his damp underclothes and offered it to her.

Sasha met him with a firm shake of her hand and wave of her hand. It was too late. Rhys had already draped the coat over her shoulders, enveloping her in the thick black fabric. She smiled, wrapping the borrowed coat snug around her neck, all too quickly resigning. That is, save for a lump in one of the pockets that irritated her. She removed from the crevice the small HALO drive.

The music was dying now, the swelling ring making one last encore before dropping from their ears. Sasha held up the drive, reading the inscription.

"You think it needs a password?"

Rhys shrugged. "I wouldn't know what it would be. But maybe… if Jack set the password, I could take a few guesses."

The radio host's voice returned with spreading warmth. "Hello Radio Hollow Point listeners, this hour we're taking track requests from the audience. Call in and we might play your – wait, it looks like we've got a call."

The static shifted to an incredibly high, happy voice, though it would be far from described as pleasant.

"Well hi! If it isn't the F#&%ING radio station that played that one F%&#ING song I really F#%&iING hate last F%$&ING week!"

Cassius, Rhys, and Sasha shared in confused stares.

"Oh god… listen, 'anonymous', you've called us three times this week to complain about it." It was amazing how quickly radio host's voice transformed from a warm, calming tone into that of an annoyed teenager. "Stop it."

"If you just did your F&%$ING job, I wouldn't have to call every F%&#ING day to tell you not to play F%$#ING terrible music! Play something good, like dubstep!"

"Wow, you're right," the host continued, "You've really opened my eyes. It looks like I know exactly what song to play next."

"It's about F&$%ING time!"

An electronic melody began – one Rhys immediately recognized, awakening memories of work on Helios during its early construction.

"Now playing: 'MainFrame.'"

"NOOOOOO! YOU, MA'AM, ARE A MENACE TO SOCIETY! F&#$ – "

"Oops, sorry folks, looks like we lost contact with 'anonymous'. Please enjoy today's musical selection."

The music introduced clapping, digital beats, and a bubbly female voice singing to the mix of already dangerously-catchy-yet-irritating combination of sounds. Rhys pushed the knob, killing the music.

"Let's… let's not listen to that."

Sasha agreed, though Cassius crossed his arms wearing a face of disappointment. "Aw, I was rather enjoying that song."

"Ugh, fine." Rhys switched the radio back on, turning the volume knob to absolute minimum. The music remained loud enough to appease a bouncing Cassius, but soft enough for Rhys and Sasha to comfortably talk over the volume. "So yeah, a password. Let's think."

Sasha rubbed her chin, assuming the position of deep thought. "Well… if Jack set it… I got it." She cleared her throat and raised the drive up to her mouth. "'I'm Handsome Jack. God of Crap.'"

"Nice one."

"Hold on I got another one. 'I'm Handsome Jack… ass.'"

"You know as fitting as those all are, I don't think Jack would say that about himself, much less set it as a password."

"Yeah, they're jokes genius."

"Gotcha."

Rhys took the drive from her, contemplating a viable password. "Let's see, uh… 'I am the Hero of Pandora.'" Nothing. "'Hail to the King.'" Nothing. "'Kiddo'?" Nothing.

"Your turn again." He relinquished the drive to Sasha. Thinking about things Jack would say already stirred an uneasy pinch in his stomach. Saying them out loud, even more so.

"Well, we found this in that picture of his daughter right? Maybe it's something he would say to her."

"That's… not a bad idea, Sasha."

She tried again. "'Angel.'" Nothing. "'Darling.'" Nothing. "'Light of my life.'" Nothing. With a short blow of air to remove the bangs from her face, Sasha dawned on one more genius possibility. "Umm… 'Enhance'?" Nothing.

"Wait, w-what about… uh…" Rhys hesitated, "'I… I love you.'"

Nothing.

"It was a good effort, buddy. But I don't think someone like Jack is capable of love." Sasha placed the drive back into Rhys' coat pocket. "We can figure it out later. Are we almost there?"

"We should be getting close now," said Rhys, grateful for the buzzard. It cut the week-long trek by foot, one he first endured after Helios crashed, to one day by flight. He was also grateful that the song had ceased playing, as they seemed to finally escape Radio Hollow Point's broadcasting range.

Snow began accumulating on the front of the buzzard and melted near the heated vents. The biodome stood tall in the distance, illuminating bright sapphire and pink through the mild storm. Home. Strange, that Rhys could call it that.

"Here we are. Dome sweet dome." Rhys nudged the controls downwards, landing the buzzard softly on a patch of snow next to the entrance. Cassius and Sasha leapt out and stretched their legs, Rhys followed soon after. The walls surrounding the biodome were high, defended with coursing orange energy along the top, but the gate itself was left wide open. Not the best defense strategy. He could recall the exact inflections of Jack's first few words as an AI. 'No turrets, no automated defenses... it's like Atlas is just begging us to take it.' Mentally, Rhys made a note to upgrade Atlas' Automated Security System – or as Vaughn so eloquently labeled it, Atlas' ASS.

"It's just as great as I remembered," Sasha said, awed, hardly waiting a moment before wandering into the bioluminescent jungle. Rhys found it a challenge keep up with her, despite his longer strides.

"Oh yeah, I figured… I figured we could take a scenic route through here before… b-before I show you the prototypes I've been working on and- and… you are going really fast."

"Am I? Sorry." She stopped underneath the shelter of a twisting tree, allowing him and Cassius catch up. Sasha adjusted her arm beneath the cover of Rhys' coat. "I guess I'm excited to be back here again."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"You said you had prototypes? What kind?" Sasha asked in that wide-eyed way that sent his mind running blank.

"Uhhh… the gun kind?

"No shit. What kind of guns?"

Rhys combed his fingers through his air. "Oh, right. Mostly SMGs, some pistols, a few sniper rifles. Though I've been working on a few different prototypes than just guns. I'll show you when we get inside."

"You had me at SMGs. Let's go!"

Sasha tugged on Rhys' sleeve this time, ensuring – whether he wanted to or not – that he wouldn't drag behind her swift pace. He glanced back at Cassius, walking leisurely, who only returned raised eyebrows and some sort of smug grin. Rhys wasn't sure what that meant.

They ascended the stairs to the front door. Instead of a lone button to allow access to any run-of-the-mill passerby, a number keypad replaced the rudimentary security measure. Perhaps he was somewhat apt defending the place. He would have rather installed something biometric – retinal scanners for example, which were already in place at several of the other buildings within the dome. Of course, Fiona had proved that's passable too. He tried not to think about a year-old eyeball potentially sitting somehow preserved within her pocket as he punched in the key code.

The heavy doors flung open to reveal the main entrance area, an area Rhys affectionately referred to as the Hub. It was much more than that – Rhys had spent many months using the Hub as a workshop, researching and building and testing new prototypes. Yet, other than the scrap metal and slightly less-than-fresh fruit piling at the edges of the room and the shattered hole in the glass window overlooking the jungle (courtesy of Brick), the area remained largely unchanged.

Rhys approached the table by the Customization Station that displayed a few of his newer prototypes, two SMGs and a sniper rifle. Pride wasn't quite the feeling that swelled in his chest when he looked at them. Built mostly from the scrap he scavenged around the dome, parts were misshapen, ill-fitted, or missing altogether. Most of his first gun prototypes he swore would never see the light of day. Never mind that the better parts he did find he devoted to reconstructing his complex and nerve-sensitive cybernetics. Still, with the company's meager earnings he was able to invest in a few digi-struct orders of quality materials that he incorporated into the guns currently on display. They were no Conference Calls, but for what he had, Rhys considered them impressive, especially for someone who had never fired a gun – a real gun – in his life before Atlas.

Sasha gripped one of the SMGs – the flashiest, decorated with a number of amber lights along the barrel – with her good arm and inspected the gun's nooks and crannies. "This looks nice. It's a little heavy. What are the stats on this one?"

"High damage, high fire rate, shock elemental effect," Rhys recited. "I'm not sure what the reload speed is; I ran out of SMG ammo."

"What kind of Atlas CEO doesn't have SMG ammo?" Sasha teased, reaching for Vaughn's gift satchel slung behind her back. "Luckily Vaughn stocked me up on some SMG rounds."

Rhys laughed. "Oh yeah, my bag didn't have any bullets. Just fruit. And… interesting artwork from the Children of Helios in my image. I'll need to burn those later."

Sasha reloaded the gun and aimed at an innocent piece of fruit sitting on the table. With the pull of the trigger, she sent chunks of unsuspecting blue produce flying through the air with a swift electric burst, and sent the back end of the gun ramming into her ribs.

"Agh! Recoil! Recoil is bad," she grunted as she dropped the gun to the floor in reflex, nursing her arm again. "Really felt that one. How on Pandora were you able to put bad recoil on an SMG of all things?"

Rhys retrieved the gun from the floor, placing it back on the table. "Sorry, I'll work on that. Are you okay? Did it hit your arm?"

"I'm… just sore. Maybe I'm still a few weeks off from weapons-testing condition, if your sniper rifle is anything like your SMG was."

"Yeah, we should wait until your arm's healed."

Sasha shrugged. "Well, you mentioned other prototypes besides the 'gun kind'. Could I test those?"

Rhys kicked open a chest resting near the table, revealing a tossed pile of metal rods. "I've got some prototypes here for a line of stun batons. I'm a little more familiar with those, but it's hard to find just the right calibration for the shock damage. They're not exactly ready for testing. And then there's a line of 'companion bots' I wanted to try out…"

"'Companion bots?'" Sasha asked.

"Yep, the inspiration is right behind you."

Sasha whirled to face the table again, this time noticing a lump of singed red and silver scrap metal hastily arranged and welded into a vaguely familiar form. "Wait a minute, is that – "

"Dumpy, yes."

"What happened to him?"

Rhys smiled, if only briefly. "Believe it or not, the little guy rescued me from Jack's death chair. Of course the death chair vaporized him within seconds but it was still a- a valiant effort, a noble sacrifice, you really had to be there. Anyways, after the Jack ordeal I tried to collect all of his parts from Jack's office and have been working on him here ever since but… I really don't think he's going to pull through."

Sasha flicked at the wild exposed circuitry that escaped in coils from Dumpy's body. "No, it doesn't look like it."

"Which is why I wanted to build a line of Atlas companion bots that would work a lot like Dumpy – minus the incomprehensible screeching – for help in tight situations. In his memory, you know."

"That's… admirable of you, I guess. But is there anything here ready to test?"

"N- no, that's the problem."

Sasha huffed. "So that's it? I'm out of the job until my arm heals?"

"You can work with me, young lady!" Cassius enthusiastically suggested, in the corner of the room where no one had noticed he was standing, as usual. "I might need your assistance with my research of paralytic and hallucinatory effects of invasive species of plant life."

"I'm uh… no thanks, that's okay," Sasha graciously declined the offer, which somehow seemed more dangerous than weapons testing.

"I think I have an idea," Rhys started. "You can advertise. You were a radio DJ, right? I need to spread the word about Atlas being back in business, maybe get the attention of some gun-makers to hire. You can broadcast about Atlas over the radio at the security tower."

"That actually sounds like a good idea. I'll do that!" Sasha grinned, already making her way towards the doors leading into the biodome elevator. "Let's go!"

Her eagerness was endearing, but not what Rhys had in mind. "Wait, now? It's the middle of the night."

"I figure it's a good time to test it out when there won't be much of an audience. You know, warm up, get used to the recording station. I'm probably a little rusty. You coming, robo-boy?"

"Uh, sure, hold on. Cassius, do you want to come with us?"

Cassius shook his head, smiling that same off-putting smile. "No, you two go on. I know another way. I'll catch up with you."

"Suit yourself."

Rhys and Sasha entered the elevator, overlooking the expanse of glittering canopies and floating spores as they descended to the jungle floor.

* * *

They traversed most of the pathway in silence, captured by the beauty of the biodome. Rhys had become accustomed to this view over time, of course, but Sasha's innocent wonder reawakened those tucked-away memories he saved for himself. The best part – the ones he had with Sasha were Jack-free. It was a luxury Jack actually allowed him then, until the whole possession, ass-slapping fiasco. At least Rhys could now admire the wild mushrooms that splattered the landscape with striking colors without reading the Jack-O-Pedia of their unfortunate implications.

"Hey, I just want to say thanks." Sasha kept her eyes focused on the path ahead, but Rhys could recognize the discomfort painted across her face, even from one side.

"Thanks? For what?"

"For… not treating me like I'm so fragile. I swear, the way Fiona kept looking at me when she was leaving, you would think I was made of porcelain or something."

Suddenly, Rhys understood her chomping-at-the-bit demeanor, the rush she was in to start something at Atlas. He couldn't pretend to know what it was like to die. But the Sasha that walked besides him now existed only on borrowed time. After so narrowly avoiding death, she had something to prove to Fiona, perhaps even to Felix, that she wasn't some reckless girl alive on a fluke.

"She's your sister, Sash," Rhys said, finding rare sympathy with Fiona. They were, after all, the ones that swooped to Sasha's side together. "It's kind of her job to worry about you."

"I know she cares about me. But after everything... she should still know I can handle myself. You seem to know that, anyways."

"Of course. You've saved my ass plenty of times now to say anything otherwise," Rhys said. "But you gotta admit, the over-worrying is probably a natural reaction for a sister, after all that's happened."

Sasha sighed and halted their trek besides a cluster of glowing pink mushrooms, casting her face in stark shadows. She finally lifted her heavy lids to meet Rhys' gaze with her own. "I mean, I don't think I would treat her like that if it had been her who came back from the dead. I know she can survive out there on her own. I don't know. Do you… would you worry about me like that?"

"Uh, I think you're forgetting about the part where I tried to cry over your body in a last-ditch effort for magical storybook healing powers."

"Right," Sasha laughed. "I guess I was wrong, that was like one of those stories."

She ushered him to follow her again, continuing to weave between the ferns and fungus and floating specks of glowing light. The security tower emerged from their view of the tree tops.

"Thanks anyway, for the job and everything," said Sasha. "I think you've got some pretty good ideas. I'm actually excited to start on some of them."

"Aw shucks, you mean it? Still need the funding to even start those projects though. I've been making small investments, sure, but it's far from easy when you're rebuilding an entire company from the ground up."

Sasha furrowed her brow, this time assuming a real pose of deep thought. "How much would you need?"

Rhys chuckled. "For everything I want to do? Hundreds of millions, at least. But to start testing some real prototypes, hire more staff, maybe… two million."

"I have two million."

"Yeah you – wait, what?" He had nearly forgotten she and her sister had become multi-millionaires overnight. That didn't make her offer any less incredulous. "You'd be willing to lay down two million dollars of your con money for a company you started working for a few hours ago?"

Sasha shook her head. "Well, not all at once. I only have four-point-five million to spend."

Yeah right, 'only.'

She continued, "I could give you the money you need to start production, as long as I get some return on investment. Maybe I can get Vaughn to figure all that out. What you have now won't cut it. And it was the Hyperion money you were going to give us for the fake vault key, seems only fair we split it like we were planning to do at that Atlas facility."

"You don't have to do that. If Atlas fails, I don't want that to hurt you. Financially, I mean."

Sasha smiled. "It's not going to fail. I think you can do something great with this. I believe in you Rhys."

It was the same thing she said on the broken bridge to the security tower. If he recalled correctly, he managed to screw that up too, clinging onto a failing structure for both of their lives. But she never let him fall.

"If that's what you really want to do with it, I guess I can't stop you," Rhys conceded. "I'll try not to blow it on ice cream or more ground property on one of the Edens."

"Honestly, that doesn't sound half-bad either," she said light-heartedly, before pointing to a structure in the near distance. "There!"

Reaching the security tower seemed so much easier than the first time he had found it with Sasha. Then again, they also skipped the life-threatening fall, detour through an unfamiliar jungle, and disturbance of the local flora details of that journey.

The two stepped onto the security tower's lift platform, and Rhys flipped the power switch on the control panel to start their ascent. "It doesn't need the jump-start from the stun baton anymore. I rewired the power." Sasha leaned over the railing as he explained, watching as the ground fell from their feet much faster than the spore-slow pace it had in the past. "Oh yeah, and I bumped up the speed on this thing too." For the best, he thought, given Sasha's boundless enthusiasm that barely restrained her from climbing up the security tower herself – not too different from the way she willingly jumped down several stories into the underground Atlas facility when he brought up the possibility of looting weaponry. Perhaps Felix's watch really was on the mark.

The lift reached the top and came to a jostling halt. Doors to the security tower flung open to reveal a wall of screens projecting camera feeds and three rolling chairs, one occupied by a cross-legged Cassius clutching to a potted plant.

"Okay, how the hell did you get here before us?" Rhys interrogated, taking the center seat besides Cassius.

"You got me," Cassius said, unfolding his map of the facility and holding it up to Rhys' view. "By all accounts, it doesn't make sense."

"Alright, whatever. Sasha, are you ready?"

Sasha happily took the remaining seat on Rhys' right, scanning the panel connected to the radio tower. "You've ever done an interview before?"

"Like a job interview?"

"No," she answered as she rummaged through crates of stashed-away audio equipment. She tore apart the tangled knots of electric cords that had ensnared the microphones. "Like a radio interview. It's less about getting hired and more about getting your name out to a large audience."

"No I was never… uh… important enough to do a radio interview…" he admitted, distracted by the dust-covered microphone Sasha was setting up near his face. "I'm going to be speaking into this?"

"Yes, very observant." Sasha pulled out two more microphone sets and installed one first on Cassius' side of the computer panels, then one on hers. Her nimble fingers fiddled with the knobs, adjusting the dials like a sewer to a quilt – fast, deliberate, and confusing to an on-looking novice. A final touch, a heavy set of headphones she slipped over her headband, and she was ready. "Alright guys, on air in three… two…"

Rhys waved his arms desperately to stop the countdown. "W-wait! We're doing this already? You're interviewing me on air?"

"Yes. You'll do fine, just follow my lead," she assured him, before mouthing the word 'one' and flipping the switch to the blinding, constant red light. Labeled beneath it: 'ON AIR'.

"Good evening Radio Hollo-… Radio Atlas listeners!" The slip into a show host voice was seamless for her. The transition to Atlas, not so much. "I'm here with new-and-improved Atlas CEO Rhys! You heard it here folks, Atlas is still alive and kicking. In fact, the CEO might have some news for you out there interested in taking up a job at one of Atlas' many remote sites. But first, Rhys, why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

"Uh… w-well… I'm, um…" Where to start? The childhood of a selfish boy who printed business cards for fun. The teen and college years of a self-absorbed douche and his power-hungry adventures with his best friend. His obsessive adult ambitions to climb the corporate ladder of Hyperion, complete with a shady Eridium deal and a few invasive cybernetic installments to his name, all in a shallow attempt to follow in the footsteps of a famed mass-murdering asshole. Or the story of that armless, eyeless wanderer, isolated and reduced to nothing more than a scavenger with a fancy corporate title that meant shit if he died of infection, or skags, or the countless other ways someone can get themselves killed on Pandora. Nothing he could say would paint himself in a flattering image, and Sasha's expectant staring was doing him no favors in choosing a plot. "I, uh… Dr. Cassius here can probably tell you about himself first!"

"Oh, uh, okay…" Sasha said, reluctantly turning to the doctor. "Cassius, can you tell us more about yourself and what you do here?"

"I'm glad you asked," Cassius cleared his throat, preparing to utilize his unmatched skill in story-telling. "I was born on a cold night not unlike this one – "

"Can we… skip to a little later in your life?" Sasha asked. "Like when you started working for Atlas."

"Very well." Cassius sighed, resting his potted plant on the control panels. "I was hired by Atlas many, many years ago after I finished my botanical degree as a Horticultural Artifacer. I conducted my research on a a variety of planets Atlas assigned me to, each with their own unique ecosystems and wildlife. But none so interesting as the ones I would find on Pandora."

"You mean as deadly," Rhys interrupted.

Cassius smirked, leering at the teethed plant that squirmed in his pot. "Deadly. Interesting. Beautiful. They're all the same, really. But I digress. I chose to stay on Pandora to do my research, which was fairly easy at the time when Atlas was pouring all of their resources into this planet in search for a Vault. You must understand, Vaults were all the rage back then. Still are, I suppose. I didn't much care for them then, but the fascinating properties of the Eridium that came from within the Vaults did provide special opportunities to observe the effects on Pandora's wildlife."

"So you did Eridium experiments on animals?" Sasha asked.

"Oh, no, I wouldn't dream of it. It was purely observational research from non-influenced occurrences outside the dome. Eridium is far too dangerous. We still don't fully understand what it is or what it can do. The effect it can have on creatures and plants and even us is far from natural. So far only Sirens possess any sort of ability to naturally interact with Eridium. Of course, the late Atlas Commandant Steele of the Crimson Lance robbed us of that research by going off and getting herself skewered by a Vault monster."

"Wait, Atlas had a Siren?" Rhys asked. He had never known much about Sirens, except that they were rumored to be all-powerful goddess-like beings, and that Jack desperately wanted them dead.

"Atlas used to be commanded by a Siren. I never crossed paths with that department though, I'm sure Steele was a lovely lady. The only Sirens we know of now are lethal Vault Hunters who would most likely rather kill a researcher before allowing research on them. Especially if you're an Atlas employee, or Hyperion for that matter. But like I said, that's not my department. Plants are my area of expertise."

"Um, Cassius, what is it that you have there?" Sasha pointed to the plant, aggressively writhing and nearly uprooting itself from the soil that constrained it. "It looks… unhappy, to say the least."

Cassius picked the pot up again, proudly displaying the demonic sprout to his captive audience. "This is ignis fatuus. Or, by its common name… it actually doesn't have a common name, nobody knows about it yet."

"So, uh, what does it do?

"Ignis fatuus is an incredibly dangerous species, evolved to afflict the most agonizing pain in its victim. One touch can send a grown man into madness. The toxins it secretes seep into pores to enter the bloodstream, gaining access to the brain. From there it attacks all sensory and nervous system operations, causing mild paralysis, possible seizures, and intense delusions and hallucinations that originate from the subconscious. A typical attack will last only but ten minutes, but it will seem much longer to the victim who will be experiencing their deepest, darkest fears with dubious connection to the outside world."

Rhys wheeled his chair further from Cassius. "That is… absolutely terrifying. Why did you bring it in here?"

"I wanted a chance to explain my findings to fellow researchers who might be listening and interested in joining Atlas."

"You do realize you didn't need to actually bring it inside to do that, right? We're broadcasting over the radio. No one's going to see the damn thing."

Cassius stared long and hard at the pot as it started to crack along its side. Furious roots pounded mercilessly against it. "I suppose you're right. Hold on, I'll be a second."

He stood from his chair and took the pot – currently a ticking time bomb – into his now-shaking hands. With a hurried pace he opened the doors and started the lift to descend from sight, silently cursing all the way. And Rhys thought he was bad at exits.

Sasha started, tapping her microphone to clear the dust. "Well, now that that's… happened… Rhys, can you tell us about your plans for Atlas?"

"Right, Atlas." Rhys straightened his posture, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows. "Well, this Atlas is a fresh start, you know? Not just for the company. We're working on developing a line guns of course, some stun batons and a little something I like to call 'companion bots'. We'll see if that name sticks. So anyone who would be interested in contributing their talents to these goals for Atlas would be a welcomed addition."

Sasha smirked, content behind the comfort of a microphone. "That's great. Just one more thing before we wrap up."

"Sure, shoot."

"Oh, it's not a question." Sasha lifted her mic to her mouth, gazing off into one of the computer screens. "Since he won't admit to it, Rhys here was from Hyperion."

The hair on his neck prickled up; his mouth shot open to interrupt her, but Sasha continued without notice. "When I met him, he was about as much of a greedy Hyperion stooge as they come. Then he got stuck here on Pandora, the last place he ever wanted to be. Let's be honest, it's the last place anyone ever wants to be. But he trusted me, some local Pandoran he hardly knew, with the only weapon he had to defend himself down here. He refused to sell out his best friend when Hyperion offered him his cushy job and a share of ten million dollars – I saw it myself! And, over time, we eventually became a team… maybe something like a family. I learned that, when you spend a certain amount of time with someone, you see a side of them that you may not have been expecting."

"Listen, I am as much against Hyperion and bloodthirsty corporations as anyone else whose lives have been ruined by the chaos they cause here. I know just hearing the name Atlas will make some of you turn off the channel… become afraid of another Helios. But Rhys will make sure Atlas is different. If I can believe it, you can too."

She finally turned in her chair to glance at Rhys, beaming. "DJ Rakk Attack, signing off."

Her finger searched for the ON AIR switch and killed the hot red light that had burned into Rhys' eyes. Without the light holding him hostage at the microphone, he stood from his chair and anxiously paced the security tower floor. "Wh- why did you say that? I-it's a death wish, is what it is. No one will want to work for me if they know I was from Hyperion!"

"Calm down, Rhys," Sasha said, her grin falling into a grimace. "That's why it had to come from me. No one here would trust an ex-Hyperion CEO if it they weren't endorsed by a Pandoran. People like redemption stories. They eat that crap up. So a 'thank you' would be nice."

"Oh, then it's nice to know my life is just one big story for everybody's enjoyment! Hah-hey kids! Gather up by the fire and listen to the tale of Rhys, the Hyperion asshole who trusted Handsome Jack and killed thousands of his own coworkers but is somehow the goddamned hero for it!"

The edges of Sasha's eyes were brushed with a ruddy hue. "Hey! I didn't mention Jack or what happened to Helios for a reason, you know. You think I want to remind you of that?"

"Well, it's what I have to live with. So j-just, I don't know… just stay out of it."

Sasha had had enough. She stormed from her seat, tore the black overcoat from her shoulders, and pushed it into Rhys' chest, knocking air from his lungs. "Fine. Here's your stupid coat. I don't want it anyways."

Rhys' fingers grasped at the coat, strung with stress from every nerve. Her footsteps continued behind him. Heavy. Sharp. Cold. Daggers plunged into his already empty chest. Nice one, idiot. Cool moves.

"W-wait," he managed to utter from the depths of his sore chest. He turned to find Sasha underneath the archway of the doors, back-turned and stiff – one foot on the lift, one still inside the security tower. "I'm… I'm sorry."

Sasha didn't respond, instead turning her head slightly to raise an expectant ear.

"I-I appreciate what you said earlier… about me. A-about, you know, not being like what you expected. The feelings were mutual. Are mutual. You surprise me all the time… in- in a good way! I mean, you're a weapons tester, radio DJ, and a two-million-dollar investor all in one day. That's pretty impressive. Look, what I'm trying to say is, I… I need you, okay? I just can't do this on my own again. I'm sorry."

The edge of her jaw softened as she finally turned her face to his. Lips loosened into a delicate curve, a smile, if barely there. A nod.

"I forgive you."

With that, she completed her step onto the lift. The smirk she wore remained on her face as the doors slammed shut, leaving Rhys alone in the room with some light in the dark.

A pocket of the jacket he still clutched in his hands flashed sudden blinding white, synced with soft beeping. Rhys reached into the pocket to pull out the HALO drive. The 'O' of the word was a ring of pearl neon light, stirring within him some strange, conflicting sensation – inviting, warning. It was a button, and it was begging to be pressed.

With a tentative, metal finger, Rhys pushed down on the 'O'. One side of the drive fell away, replaced instead with a protruding silver jack from within, and surrounded with a spiral of hovering purple light. Just the perfect size for the port in his head.

"What in the…"

The HALO drive had activated – randomly, Rhys would have thought, if he hadn't realized Sasha just found the password.


End file.
